1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to connecting tubular members, e.g., in the field of oil and as recovery. In particular, the disclosure relates to the alignment and connection of adjacent tubular members within a wellbore, e.g., the installation of a casing segment into a wellbore to form a fluid seal with an adjacent casing segment.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
A variety of wellbore operations include the connection of adjacent tubular members such as pipe, drill string, riser sections, casing segments, and the like. Some of the joints established between the tubular members can employ metal-to-metal seals to form fluid-tight connections. Often, the tubular members include sealing surfaces that are integral with the metallic structure of the tubular members. Such integral seals can be formed more rapidly, and at a lower cost, than distinct metal or elastomeric seal components. Distinct seal components must be placed between the tubular members during make-up or assembled to one or both of the tubular members before being lowered into the wellbore. One challenge of working with integral metal-to-metal seals is preventing damage to the surface finish on the sealing surfaces, and thereby facilitating effective formation of fluid-tight connections.
Tubular members, and the oilfield equipment used to transport and handle the tubular members, are often large and cumbersome. Thus, assembling tubular members to one another without causing damage to the sealing surfaces can be difficult. For example, due to the large masses of the tubular members and oilfield equipment, even low-speed collisions can produce sufficient force to damage the sealing surfaces while attempting to land or align a tubular member. Therefore, stab guides, shields, protective coatings or other additional protectors are often provided to protect the metal-to-metal sealing surfaces. These protectors add cost and, depending on the protector design, can be dislodged from a tubular member and lost. In some cases, removal of these protectors can be required where they interfere with the final stages of assembly, such as the final rotation(s) of a threaded in connector after being stabbed into a box connector of an adjacent tubular member. The removal of these protectors can slow the assembly process and leave the sealing surfaces exposed during a stage of assembly where the sealing surfaces are at risk.
In light of the above, a demand exists for protecting the metal-to-metal sealing surfaces on tubular members without the need to provide distinct protectors. Also, recognizable is a demand for protecting the sealing surfaces during final makeup after the pin and box connectors are stabbed together.